Tuesday, November 06, 2012

WELLNESS: KEEPING PROMISES

I think one of the most difficult things about committing to health and wellness is that we often find ourselves in a place where we no longer trust our word. Maybe it was a few broken resolutions here and there or the fact that we promised ourselves we would wake up and do yoga, but decided to sleep in instead. Over time, these broken promises build up and subconsciously make us loose trust in ourselves. All of a sudden, a resolution or goal is thrown to the wind as a "that would be great if I could actually do that, but I doubt it will happen...", when in reality, the only thing holding us back from keeping promises is ourselves.

How do we break the habit of promise breaking and start trusting ourselves again? When I decided to start my health journey 7 months ago, a main motivation for that decision and its success in my life was the fact that I was done making "resolutions" and ready to start keeping promises. I was ready to start treating myself well and living. Throughout this year I've learned a couple things about keeping promises to yourself that I'd like to share. :)

1. Practice. ---> Just like loosing the trust of a loved one, loosing trust in yourself takes time to build back up. It takes little steps and a continual pursuit. Start with small things. Make a promise to yourself today and do it. Maybe for a couple days in a row, make a promise that morning and follow through. Begin expanding that to bigger promises and eventually "habit" types of promises like exercising regularly, flossing, and eating lots of greens every week.

2. Write it Down. ---> What's truly important to you to accomplish? Is it to be healthy? It is to accomplish a long hoped for goal? Make a list of the things you want to follow through on and keep it in a place where you won't let yourself forget. Start working on those goals and promises one at a time.

3. Recognize. ---> When you do follow through with something and begin building that trust with yourself, recognize it. Celebrate it! Stop and think about where you were, where you are and where you're going. Let that accomplishment motivate you to continue moving forward.

4. Accountability. ---> Whenever I've made a promise to myself that I've really, really wanted to keep, I make sure to tell as many people as possible. When I decided to shape up and start working towards being a wellness warrior, I told my husband, family, friends, acquaintances, and shared it on my blog. The fact that I told these people automatically made them a form of accountability for me. It's motivating to know that people are wanting you to succeed and you want to succeed for them, and especially for yourself. If you find that you need a deeper sense of accountability, seek out a close friend or family member that might be on the same journey as you...or better yet, further ahead, so they can encourage you and provide wisdom.

5. New Day. ---> There are certainly weeks when I'm not doing as well. Rather than give up or accept failure, I like to look at the very next day...or beginning of the week, as a fresh start. It's my chance to push the restart button and continue moving forward. It's important to accept that you won't achieve perfection and sometimes we just have "those days". Give yourself permission to continue moving forward and don't give up.

Seeing as Halloween week wasn't my proudest health week ever, I'm excited to take these things to heart and continue strong. Do you have any tips for keeping promises to yourself? I'd love to hear! Please feel free to share in the comment section below!

Also, one quick mention: My favorite health warrior, Kris Carr, just came out with her new cookbook, Crazy Sexy Kitchen! I just got it in the mail and I can't wait to read it and start cooking! :)

These are really fantastic tips, Savannah! This is something that I've been talking with my husband about over the past 2 weeks. I'm learning to follow through with my decisions and convictions about projects/working out/being healthy...I'm great and being ambitious and making big plans, and not so much with following through. Its nice to know that others have the same issues sometimes :)

Beautiful tips and beautiful photographs to go along with the text. I definitely need to realize that just because I had a bad day one day, no need to panic and freak out ;) The sun will rise tomorrow!

I found this post to be exactly what I needed to read this week, so thank you for being honest and putting it out there! I've been telling myself for over a year now that I'm going to start doing yoga. I've done all the research, I've found a studio close to my house, but I have yet to just drive over and pay for a pass and start going. Every weekend I tell myself I'm going to do it, and every Monday morning I find that I'm disappointed in myself for not doing it - but there is no one else to blame!

I've been on a bit of a wellness journey myself for the past few months, and it's amazing how a little idea in regards to being good to your body can absolutely transform your life. I've been hesitant to write about any of my ideas or progress on my blog because I was concerned that they might classify under "too personal". Lately though, I have been toying with the idea of sharing this part of my life with my online friends because it is such a large part of my life, and reading this post and thinking about the idea of accountability makes the decision for me.

Sorry this comment is so long, I just wanted to share that I'm in the same boat, and I'm impressed by your outlook on this whole thing. I'm happy to continue following your wellness journey (along with the rest of your beautiful blog) and take note of what you've learned.

i could not agree more with your words. they are so true and something to daily be mindful of. i am truly inspired by your posts and positive outlook and your resolve to live intentionally to better yourself.